Saturday, April 7, 2012

A good public transportation system was a must if cities have to survive and it was essential that citizens support the elevated metro rail project instead of causing hurdles, said Lok Satta founder-president and Kukatpally MLA Jayaprakash Narayan.

Addressing a gathering at the Miyapur metro rail depot on Friday, he pointed out that top cities in the developed world had an efficient public transport system.

“It is very difficult to live in cities without it,” he said. Initially, he did root for the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) but realised that too much of road widening was not possible.

“We need to inculcate the culture of utilising public transport,” he said.

Mr. Narayan said the Hyderabad Metro Rail project was being taken up under the public, private partnership mode with less of a government burden. But he wanted it to be integrated with MMTS and RTC with a single transport authority for seamless travel through a single ticket.

Admitting that there were quite a few private properties being acquired for the project, he called for adequate compensation for those losing properties and livelihoods.

Mr. Bikshapathi Yadav said it was a matter of pride for people of his constituency as the depot was being built at Miyapur.